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While Doba toured the state, he reportedly said on more than one occasion, ''We've got to win, so we can pay off the basketball coach's new contract.''
Cougars men's basketball coach Tony Bennett, who signed a new deal guaranteeing he will make at least $800,000 for every season he stays in Pullman, Wash., was reportedly not amused.
Doba probably isn't tickled to be earning roughly half of the second-year basketball coach, who is a former University of Wisconsin assistant. Doba reportedly has a deal that guarantees him $440,000, although incentives could push it to around $600,000.
But it also suggests a change in the hierarchy of the school's athletic department, after Bennett took over for his dad, former UW head coach Dick Bennett, and led Washington State to 26 wins and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Who would have thought a football program that has been to the Rose Bowl twice since the 1997 season could suddenly take a back seat to a basketball program that was the dredge of the Pacific-10 Conference before the Bennetts arrived?
Washington State quarterback senior Alex Brink said the football team could take a few lessons from the basketball team.
''The biggest thing we can take from that is kind of that belief in themselves that they had,'' Brink told the Seattle Times. ''Nobody thought they'd do what they did. They kind of shut out the outside influences and focused on each other. They're the definition of a family atmosphere.''
Doba should probably be more concerned about his own job - his name is starting to pop up on stories about coaches on the ''hot seat'' - than Bennett's contract.
Mike Price led the Cougars to the Rose Bowl following the 1997 and 2002 seasons, then bolted for Alabama. Doba spent 14 years as an assistant at the school, including the defensive coordinator from 1994-2002, before getting promoted.
Washington State went 10-3 in Doba's first season, defeating Texas in the Holiday Bowl, but has not been above .500 since. Last year's team was 6-3, including victories over Oregon and UCLA, and ranked No. 25. It needed to win just one more game to secure a likely bowl berth, only to lose its last three, including home losses to Arizona and Washington.
''We don't dwell on last season,'' Brink said. ''We use that for motivation. We recognize what happened and why it happened. We got complacent. Now, it's up to us to take the reins.''
Brink has thrown for 7,095 yards and 50 touchdowns, while starting 28 games over the last three years. He was a second-team All-Pac 10 quarterback last year, completing 241 of 396 passes for 2,899 yards.
By the time he departs, he should hold most of the school's passing records, eclipsing the likes of Drew Bledsoe, Jack Thompson, Ryan Leaf and Jason Gesser.
Yet, the local fans have not exactly embraced Brink, mostly because of a 12-16 record in his starts, including 1-8 against ranked teams.
The biggest question facing the Cougars on offense is a line that lacked depth and lost projected starting right guard Andy Roof, who was suspended for the season for alcohol issues. But Doba praised the job line coach George Yarno did in preseason camp and said the unit is starting to come together.
The strength on offense, after Brink, is an experienced group of receivers, although Brandon Gibson, who had 49 catches last year, is injured and will be a game-time decision.
The defense was a mess last year. The front seven was riddled by injuries and the secondary couldn't hold up. The Cougars ranked last in the Pac-10 in pass defense, allowing 243.1 yards per game.
Three members of the secondary are expected to make their first Division I starts, including cornerbacks Chima Nwachukwu, a true freshman, and Devin Giles, a junior college transfer who arrived a week before camp. Strong safety Alfonso Jackson is also a junior college transfer.
Doba said the new cornerbacks earned their spots ''basically on athleticism, speed and quickness.''
The Cougars must hope their defense holds up physically and their high-powered offense can put up enough points to win.
''When you go against a team like (UW), you better be pretty base,'' Doba said. ''If we make all of our run fits properly and don't give up big plays and can hold onto it, then let the offense win the football game.''
